Volume 120 Spring 2014 Roundup Issue 6

Campus foundation in financial

hot

water

Not-for-pro t group in danger of closing its doors

Jessica Boyer A&E Editor

The future of the nonprofit organization of Pierce College is uncertain due to a lack of funds, which will result in an emergency meeting on Wednesday April 16 to create a plan of action.

The Foundation for Pierce College is a nonprofit organization that uses donations and grants to fund the college and to award scholarships to students. All nine of the schools in the Los Angeles Community College District have foundations.

“The purpose of the Foundation is that it allows people to donate to the college,” said Mike Cornner, a previous board member for the Foundation. “You can deduct what you donate to the college from your income tax as a charitable donation.”

The Foundation’s office had a sign on the door Monday morning stating, “Foundation is closed until further notice. If you have questions, please contact the office of Rolf Schleicher.” The note was

later changed to “The Foundation for Pierce College will be closed on Fridays.”

Schleicher is the vice president of Administrative Services for the Pierce College campus. Linda Solar, Schleicher’s assistant, said “they have no information on the Foundation at this time.”

“It’s not closed. I don’t know why they’re closed today,” said Kathleen Burke, president of Pierce College. “The Foundation is not closed, the Foundation is running out of money and so they’re having trouble paying for their employees, but whether or not they have employees and whether or not the Foundation is being closed are two separate things.”

The Foundation’s income has been rocky over the last few years since Dennis Washburn left in 2010. He was the last full-time director of the Board of Directors for the Foundation.

The position “went away because the school would not fund it anymore,” said Kathy Zanghi, account manager of the Foundation for Pierce College.

[See

Talking Tolkien

Professor brings Middle Earth to his English course

Jordan Utley-Thomson Roundup Reporter

One does not simply walk into this English professor’s office without noticing the mounted swords and ironclad armor and thinking “is this MiddleEarth?”

Lawrence Krikorian is a 55-yearold full-time English professor who has taught at Pierce College for the past twenty-seven years.

“There is so much Tolkien stuff in [my office],” Krikorian said. “My current favorite is The Lord of the Rings Pez set.”

Krikorian is teaching English 28, 86, 102 and 270 this semester, with 270 being his “absolute” favorite.

“He explains [material] very well and goes through everything, and makes English really fun,” said business major Anthony Morton, who is now taking English 102 with Krikorian. “I expected this class to be hard, but it’s actually pretty enjoyable.”

English 270 is a science fiction and fantasy course that meets once a week on Wednesday nights. The curriculum consists of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Out of the Silent Planet, Solaris, and Snow Crash.

“[Snow Crash is] about the future of the internet as predicted from 1992,” Krikorian said. “A lot of it has come to pass. It’s an extremely violent book, and it’s also pretty vulgar, but students think it’s the greatest book in the class.”

A big fan of fantasy himself, Krikorian enjoys all things J. R. R. Tolkien, with his 42 year love affair with The Lord of the Rings as proof of his devotion.

[See PROFESSOR , pg. 5

Center helps students find careers Job Fair helps students discover work opportunities

spring 2014 Job Fair hosted nearly 500 people on Thursday, April 3.

20-year-old business major Leslie Bun chatted with a potential employer.

Students and members of the Pierce College community brought their resumes and portfolios for the opportunity to land the right job.

The Career and Transfer Center’s

Thirty-five businesses peppered the sun-soaked Mall walkway in pop-up tents from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. looking to meet and hire Pierce students.

With her last remaining resume in hand and dressed to be hired,

“The job I have right now is seasonal. So by the time it ends, I want a new career to jump into,” Bun said. “I have to travel a lot which is something I don’t want to do. I just want a stable job, maybe something in an office.”

Rick Leahy, district manager of staffing and recruiting for home security company Vivint, spoke highly of past experiences with Pierce.

“We love Pierce. We feel like Pierce students definitely have some experience and a lot of them have pretty decent people skills,” Leahy said. “We’ve been coming to this job fair for a long time and we always get good applicants from it.”

Twenty-four-year-old Cal. State University, Northridge graduate student and Career Center intern Nicole Goddard said the goal of the Job Fair was to not only bring employment opportunities to students, but to also spread awareness of the Career Center and its services.

Graduation date moved forward

Tracy Wright Editor-in-Chief

The date for the spring 2014 graduation ceremony has changed from Wednesday, June 11 to Tuesday, June 10 due to scheduling conflicts with the Board of Trustees.

Kathy Oborn, president of the Academic Senate, announced the date change during the Academic

Senate meeting on Monday, April 14.

In an email between Oborn and Pierce President Kathleen Burke, Burke explained the date change would enable representation at the commencement ceremonies from the Board of Trustees and Chancellors Cabinet.

“It’s just a day,” student Luis Sanchez said. “If it was a week, I could see that affecting people.”

The spring semester graduation

is usually held on a Wednesday due to summer voting and elections that usually take place on a Tuesday. Last year, the Board of Trustees moved their meeting to accommodate the colleges’ schedules but advised they wouldn’t be moving their meeting again.

“I don’t think it’s bad,” student Victor Torres said. “It could affect families traveling in, but it’s just a day.”

Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporter

Erick Ceron / Roundup

CHRISTOPHER GRAY, 33, is helped by a recuiter on Thursday, April 3.

[See JOB FAIR , pg. 3]

Giuliana Orlandoni / Roundup

PROFESSOR Lawrence Krikorian is holding a replica of the sword “Andruil, flame of the west” used by Aragorn from “The Lord of the Rings” on Tuesday, April 1.

“ The Foundation is running out of money and so they’re having trouble paying for their employees, ”

-Kathleen Burke President of Pierce College

FOUNDATION, pg. 3]

File Photo / Roundup

COMMENCEMENT ceremony of the Spring 2013 semester.

-Photo by: Nelger Carrera

“There’s always that thought of ‘someone crazy comes onto campus and just starts shooting.’”

One sport to rule them all

We have all been witnesses to the level of interest given to certain sport programs over others. It is true that the most popular sport does deserve the attention it gets, but at what point does the focus on one sport become too much? Is favoritism noticed when one team doesn’t have a score keeper or no one to announce their own starting line-ups while another team has pristine uniforms?

The favored teams, such as the football team, enjoy better benefits. To find out why, just look at where they play their home games. The football and baseball teams have a stadium and field with bleachers that are maintained. Other teams at the bottom, such as the softball team who were in danger of losing their team this spring semester, do not have an electronic scoreboard or an announcer. It’s a challenge to bring home victories when the school has little financial backing and support behind all teams.

Pierce College has a good athletics program and the benefits that certain teams receive are well earned, but when it is clear that one team has far superior

equipment and training, that is when the smaller teams are forgotten.

Each sports team receives an estimated $5,000 per semester to pay for transportation, officials and other teams expenses, according to athletic director Bob Lofrano. Clearly, the money is not enough if one team’s home court looks like a neglected field out in a public park.

Some teams have resorted to selling advertising space and using logos for sponsorships on their uniforms. Other teams have decided to sell snacks and drinks to help with the team’s expenses. Although not all the teams are small and some are very successful, they still do not have the same level of benefits.

Pierce needs to help each team reach their full potential. Certain teams need more help than others. Some just need minor items, such as a scoreboard, while others need more work with coaching, recruiting, and equipment.

Small changes can help the school eliminate sports favoritism. Pierce could promote games regardless of record. This simple step can help the teams by increasing attendance.

Photos by Diego Barahas. Quotes gathered by Richard Zamora.

AKA: Ask

Advice

Kate

“Dear Kate, why do some girls like to date jerks?” Jaded Gentleman

Dear Jaded, Ah, women. That ever-present mystery in a man’s mind.

There are a few different answers to this question, and they range depending on the woman.

Some women were raised in terrible situations, with fathers who abused them physically, emotionally, and/or sexually. In the minds of many of these women, they do not deserve anything better. They have been degraded for so long that they believe what they are told by their abuser.

They may say over and over that they want a relationship with a man who won’t treat them poorly, but they end up going for the bad guy every time. Those women should seek counseling to help break free from those tendencies toward destructive relationships.

With luckier women who did not suffer from abuse, the answer is a little more complicated. A lot of times it has to do with maturity. The jerks may seem like more fun, or the whirl of emotions that this kind of guy evokes might make a girl feel more alive.

Women might find a more refined man attractive, but a guy who is overly nice can also be annoying. If you tell a

woman she is beautiful every time you see her, she may start to think that you are just saying it because you think she wants to hear it.

Yes, it is very nice for a woman to know without a doubt that her man thinks she’s beautiful and is attracted to her, but it means more when she is caught off guard by the compliment.

You shouldn’t go months or even weeks without telling her how you feel about her, even years into a relationship. But don’t let it become a meaningless phrase that you recite.

One classic move that nice guys make is to always let the girl choose the restaurant or the movie or the events of an evening. You might think you are being sweet, but it can be very frustrating or even come off as lazy. Good women want their men to be happy too. If you have a woman who wants to choose everything, you have probably found someone selfish and you should run away.

Instead of making her pick all the time, if you truly want to impress her or show her that you care about her, pay attention to what she likes and make decisions based on her preferences.

A women wants to know that a guy can take care of her, while still respecting her independence.

So if you’re a “nice guy,” maybe man up a little. Don’t be a jerk, but just be who you are instead of who you think she wants you to be.

There’s a difference between a nice guy and a pushover.

If you truly are just a nice guy, you will find a woman who will appreciate that and love you for it. There are plenty of women who sincerely want that.

phasis on sports, the players are courted specifically for their athletic ability. Athletic scholarships awarded to students depend on their talent to play a sport. The primary reason they are given money is to play for their school, not for their academic skills.

Richard Zamora

Athletic departments of some colleges can actually be the main draw as the revenue schools generate from sports make them quite lucrative, especially if the team is successful. Should student athletes see a portion of those proceeds?

Some colleges go to great lengths to recruit a winning team often offering signing bonuses along with scholarships. These examples are typical of schools participating in Division I sports, usually basketball and football. Not every college is pulling in six or seven figures from their athletic department, especially at the community college level, but for the big name universities the revenue can reach tens of millions of which the athletes themselves receive none.

The sports division of video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA Sports) recently lost a lawsuit over the use of team logos and player likenesses without proper financial compensation. EA Sports has lost a contract with the NCAA but can still negotiate individually with colleges.

In another relevant matter, The National Labor Relations Board recently ruled that Northwestern University football players are considered employees of the school and therefore are free to form a union and receive payment for their talents. Some even call for a collective bargaining system of negotiations similar to what is used in professional sports.

The reason for this is due to the nature in which colleges manage athletes from recruitment to game day. For those schools with an em-

Colleges may end up with a greater amount of control over an athlete’s lifestyle, more so than any employer would have over an employee. A great deal of a student athlete’s time is devoted to the body conditioning and practice that is required, often outweighing the amount of time spent on actual school work.

And what about injuries sustained while playing? Some schools offer plans insuring players for injuries sustained during games and practices. Some do not. Kyle Hardwick, a sophomore basketball player for the University of Oklahoma, suffered a knee injury that his mother said cost the family $10,000 in medical bills with their personal insurance paying another $20,000. There is no standard when it comes to schools providing medical insurance.

Not every college is as sports driven as others. When it comes to determining if schools should pay their players, several variables should be considered. Players at a community college are not offered scholarships on the same scale as those attending universities.

So what does that mean for athletes at Pierce? Athletes should research schools they hope to transfer to, especially in regards to what the policy is on insurance for injury; concussions can end a prospective career and provide a lifetime of medical problems and costs. They should know what a school’s view is on the topic of paying players. While there may not be a system already in place, the ruling at Northwestern University has set a precedent that cannot be ignored. For players that are serious about their pursuit of an athletic career, these are things to consider as they make their next steps.

-COMIC STRIP-

Cartoon by Maria Salvador.

-Leydi Tovar criminal justice major

“ I still somewhat feel safe because thankfully there are police around the school that are protecting us ”

-Hovsep Yacoupian business major

“I ride my bike and I used to park my bike on campus, but it got stolen.”

-Norman Molina music major

“You shouldn’t be here to start fights or break into people’s cars. We’re are all students, we’re all stressed out, we’re all poor.”

-Coral Armour fine art major

“There’s not enough patrolling, but I think there is the right amount of Sheriffs.”

-Shota Yamanaka finance major

Opinion rzamora.roundupnews@gmail.com

Why girls go for the bad boys

Relay for Life held at Pierce

Friends, family and survivors walk to raise funds for cancer research

Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporter

For one day and one night, teams of people camped out at the Pierce College athletic fields during a 24-hour Relay for Life fundraising walk that began on Saturday, April 5 at 9 a.m.

Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature event that brings together cancer survivors, honors those who lost their battle, and grants opportunities to raise money toward a cure, according to www.relayforlife.org.

Tents, tables, and a stage for musicians to play all boarded a candle-lit walking path that took over the campus grass where soccer games usually occur. People took turns walking throughout the night to raise awareness for cancer.

As the clock neared midnight, Mackenzie King huddled inside a tent to keep warm in between walking shifts. King, a member of Team Brahma, found out about the walk through the Gay-Straight Alliance Club.

“I’m sure everyone knows someone who’s been affected by cancer, myself included, and that’s why I wanted to partake in the event,” King said.

In her second year with Team Brahma, Karina Perez spent her day helping sell flashlights, sunglasses, and bracelets to raise money for the

for Life event, which celebrates cancer survivors and raises money for research on Saturday, April 5 at Pierce College.

team. Another team’s table even offered phone charging for a price.

“I’m their biggest customer,” Perez laughed, charging her phone.

Bundled up in a jacket and accompanied by a friend, Steve Lichtenstein, director of sponsored research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, didn’t let the cold stop him from walking the track into the late hours of the night.

“This is the fourth year I’ve done this and it’s amazing,” Lichtenstein said. “The money that goes into this comes right back to the hospital for research. I can see where all this [money] goes and I can see the other

side of it.”

Leading Lichtenstein’s team was two-time cancer survivor and co-chair of the survivor activities, Yevette Peterson.

Many reasons bring Peterson back to the walk each year. On top of her own battle, she lost her father in-law and a friend to cancer and her mother is a two-time survivor as well.

“The first time I had cancer, after I finished my treatment, I went through a really tough time feeling scared and uncertain about whether or not the cancer would come back,” Peterson said. “I just decided I

Charity faces closure

[From FOUNDATION, pg. 1]

Brian Chase, who was a parttime paid director in 2010, and Floria Borzenkova have since stepped in. According to Zanghi, for a while someone volunteered, but Borzenkova is currently acting as the full-time director with the title of senior program director.

“There are some colleges in the district that have foundations but no staff,” said Burke. “Any work that would be done by employees of the college’s Foundation would be done by employees of the college and the Foundation would pay them for their time working on Foundation things where they were not working on college things. They would pay them overtime, but the Foundation continues.”

she is not the one in charge of the Foundation and the ultimate decision will need to be decided by the Foundation’s board.

“They do not work for me, they work for the Foundation board so that is up to the Foundation board. I believe they are having a meeting on Wednesday,” Burke said. “What I do know is they are running out of money so they have no way to pay the employees. So if you connect those dots, if you cannot pay your employees. That is really the Foundation board’s decision, not the College Board’s decision.”

There will be a Board of Director’s meeting at noon on Wednesday in the Student Services Building to discuss the future of the organization and options for fundraising.

needed to channel all of that energy into something positive.”

Since 2009, Peterson has been working on ways to help keep bringing Relay for Life back to Woodland Hills each year. Peterson said this is how she does something important about the fight for cancer. “Doing an event like this where the whole community comes together really under the umbrella of one cause, it feels really supportive and it feels really powerful,” Peterson said. “You come out and you realize how many people you don’t even know really care about helping you.”

Media Arts Department students bring home state awards

Annual conference and ceremony recognizes achievements in journalism programs

Mohammad Djauhari

Photo Editor

The staff of Pierce College’s Roundup News, The Bull Magazine, and KPCRadio.com attended the Journalism Association of

Community Colleges’ 2014 State Convention, which took place at the Burbank Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Burbank, Calif. The convention, which started Thursday, April 3 and ended Saturday, April 5, hosted

community colleges statewide where student journalists were able to attend various workshops and compete in on-the-spot contests, mail-in, and bring-in categories. Some of this year’s winners included: Mohammad Djauhari for News Photo, Jeremy Nation and

Monica Salazar for Magazine Cover Design, Nelger Carrera for Photo Essay Story and On-the-spot Sports

Photo, Lynn Levitt for Bring-in

Photo, and Matt Gottesman for Webcast//Broadcast News.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

In 2010, the Foundation for Pierce College had a revenue of $514,807, significantly less than the $616,095 revenue in 2009. The income continued to drop in 2011, with the organization bringing in only $254,270.

“We are running out of general funds for many reasons and the administration is not in a position to financially help us because of budget cuts,” Zanghi said.

Burke said, however, that

“They are not employees of the district. It is a very defined relationship because they are an auxiliary organization so we cannot, by law, use some college funds to pay them,” said Burke. “The whole purpose of the organization would be to make money that we would not normally otherwise get so that’s really its role.”

The Foundation is currently still accepting applications for scholarships.

Student employment fair

“We have our own booth here to let [students] know that we can help them with resumes, interviews, and all of that,” Goddard said.

For the past five years, Joanna Zimring Towne, counselor and director of Career Services at Pierce, has been planning events and offering services to help students find out what jobs suits them.

“We’d love to offer so much more to our students, but we’re always so handicapped by resources and whatnot,” Towne said. “It’s really nice when we can do something and the students can take advantage of it

report

– Compiled by: Genna Gold

April 6 - April 12

Pierce College Sheriff’s Station

General Information: (818) 719 - 6450

Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311

Information to be offered about financial aid [4/16]

Pierce College will participate in Financial Aid Awareness Day a booth on the mall on Wednesday, April 16 from noon-2 p.m. Students can receive information on financial aid as well as help filling out applications.

and benefit from it.”

The Career and Transfer Center is in the Student Services building and is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

“We also have drop-in career advising on Tuesdays and Thursday from one to three,” Towne said. “Students can come in and get quick help from picking a major to picking a career to getting help on their resume.”

The Career Center offers a variety of services all throughout the school year and a website to help job-seekers. Students can browse local job openings online with Brahma Jobs at www. collegecentral.com/pierce.

4-7 – Miscellaneous incident - A custodian reported finding human or animal excrement on the carpet in two different locations in Room 8407.

4-11 – Possession of syringe - – A man was detained and questioned in the North Gym for being in possession of a syringe (needle). The man was cited and advised he was trespassing.

News briefs

UCLA hosts conference [4/25]

The Career and Transfer center is offering bus rides to University of California, Los Angeles for the 15th Annual UCLA Student Transfer Opportunity and Mentor Program (STOMP) on Friday, April 25. For information, contact the Career and Transfer center at (818) 710-4126.

– Compiled by Tracy Wright

Erick Ceron / Roundup

CANCER SURVIVORS and team captains get ready to start the Relay

[From JOB FAIR , pg. 1]

Hobbits, swords and English

The professor first discovered Tolkien’s works during Christmas of 1972 when his cousin got him The Hobbit and three paperback

The Lord of the Rings novels as a gift.

“I first read The Lord of the Rings in [an] eighth grade algebra class by hiding it in my textbook,” Krikorian said while laughing. “I had never read it before, and I envy people who have never read The Lord of the Rings and get to read it for the first time.”

Wednesday, April 16

Alpha Gamma Sigma meets at 1 p.m. in BUS 3206.

The Psychology Club meets at 1 p.m. in the ASO Conference Room.

The Political Science Club meets at 1 p.m. in the ASO Office.

The Philosopy Society meets in the ASO Conference Room at 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 17

The Anthropology Society meets at noon in CNC 3808. Alpha Gamma Sigma meets at 1 p.m. in BUS 3206

The French Club meets at 2 p.m. in the ASO Office.

Club Orientation will be from 4 to 7 p.m.

Monday, April 21

Club Olympics will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Habitat for Humanity meets at 4 p.m. in BEH 1309.

Tuesday, April 22

But as a scholar of the arts, Krikorian does not limit himself to just goblins and elves.

He also enjoys the deeper and darker sensibilities of post-war American novelists such as Joseph Heller, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

“It is funny because I do not like the characters – I do not like any of them, even the narrators,”

Krikorian said about a couple of Fitzgerald’s novels. “They are despicable people, but the writing is so good.”

After graduating from Indio High School, Krikorian attended College of the Desert, which was founded in 1958.

He then transferred as a math major to the University of California, San Diego and once

more transferred to Point Loma College to get a bachelor’s degree in English.

Following graduation, Krikorian worked for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, a now defunct publishing firm, and assisted in publishing trade books for four seasons.

He also attended the University of California, Los Angeles in

Club 411: Happy feet for the shoeless New group helps those in need by donating needed footwear

fortunate, including bake sales and collecting shoes from schools.

order to attain a master’s degree in English.

Krikorian then taught for three years at the University of California, Los Angeles, and worked at East Los Angeles College for the course of one semester as part of their Program for Adult College Education program. He then switched to Pierce College in the fall of 1988 and has

remained here since.

“He works at a very calm pace with his students individually,” said Alex Frenkel, an English major who took Krikorian’s English 207 course last fall semester. “He is very knowledgeable in his field of work. He encourages students to see him during office hours to proofread papers and gives ideas as opposed to just feedback.”

Club Olympics will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Architecture Club meets at 3 p.m. in AT 3800

The Business Economics Students Association meets at 3 p.m. in the ASO Conference Room.

To add your club events to the calender, contact cjohnson.roundupnews@gmail.com

With just a pen and a paper and a passion for giving back to the community, two high school students came together and created an organization called Happy Feet.

Happy Feet was created in 2012 by then-El Camino High School students Azadeh Hanukaai and Pardees Fassihi.

They showed an interest in giving back to their community, and decided that the best way to do it would be to create a group to help the needy.

Thinking outside the box, instead of donating clothes or canned goods, they decided to take another route and give shoes instead.

“I thought it was a great idea,” Hanukaai said. “Just to help people that are not in a great economic situation, makes me happy when I can help.”

Happy Feet has also teamed up with Soles 4 Souls, which is a global non-profit institution dedicated

to fighting poverty by collecting shoes and clothes from individuals, organizations and schools.

Soles 4 Souls was founded in 2006, and was recently named the best non-profit to work for by the NonProfit Times.

Along with shoe drives, the club has completed other projects to continue to give back to the less

“The next shoe drive we have, we want to go back to Calabash Elementary School in Woodland Hills during spring break,” Fassihi said.

They plan on eventually turning Happy Feet into a nonprofit organization, and want to keep the club going at Pierce College as well as El Camino High School.

They want to expand the name and keep the club up and active.

“In 10 years, I hope Happy Feet will continue to help people in the community in the way that I and the rest of the club are able to,” club member Alexis Morris said about their future plans.

This is just the beginning for the club’s goals and achievements. Knowing that children and adults do not have to worry about basic necessities is a feeling that Happy Feet strives for.

As of now, Happy Feet does not have a day or time in which the club meets, but the information will be announced soon, according to the club.

Giuliana Orlandoni / Roundup

English professor Larry Krikorian smiles while holding Sting, a sword from the Lord of the Rings, and using it to point at his collection of gear from the Lord of the Rings books and other stories in his office at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Tuesday, April 1, 2014.

Mariah Sherriffe

Roundup Reporter

“In 10 years, I hope Happy Feet will continue to help people in the community in the way that I and the rest of the club are able to.”

-Alexis Morris Club Member

“It is funny because I do not like the characters - I do not like any of them, even the narrators. They are despicable people, but the writing is so good.”

-Larry Krikorian English professor

Winning the battle Art history professor returns to Pierce a er struggle with cancer

Martin Torres Roundup Reporter

Victory doesn’t always comes from winning an event or sport. It can also be won on the verge of death.

In May of 2013, Assistant Professor of Art Ramela Abbamontian was struck with terrible news. She learned that she was diagnosed with cancer, a disease in which there is an uncontrolled growth of the cells in the body.

“She is excellent, that’s why we hired her. She is an energetic instructor,” said Greg Gilbertson, department chair of art and architecture. “We as a group will always respond to her. We knew that she needed a semester off. We were here for her every step of the way. We were a very supportive, tight group.”

Gilbertson had worked with her on art shows on campus, and had also been around her student art shows that she does every year. He said that her absence was felt when she was gone and going through her chemo therapy.

“She is a very passive, highenergy person. She has a special way of presenting herself in front of the students,” Gilbertson said. He admired her as a wonderful art instructor.

“I missed my students the most, missed being around this wonderful working environment,” Abbamontian said.

Professor of Art History Constance Moffatt was in support of Abbamontian.

“I tried to keep in touch and let her know I was thinking of her,” Moffatt said.

She said that Abbamontian is a caring teacher.

“More than that, she is intelligent, witty, and a talented scholar. Really she’s probably our best teacher,” Moffatt said.

In her time off, the students and staff sent her get well cards all put together in a single card.

Moffatt added that they sent her emails, letting her know that they we thinking of her, and that they missed her.

Abbamontian has been teaching art history to students at Pierce College for seven years. She is a UCLA graduate, and graduated with her PHD in 2009.

She teaches classes in Art 101, 105, 107 and Art 109. She does not teach on the western civilization topics. Her goal is to consume students with visual culture.

“I want them to think twice for

CSUN SUMMER SESSION

every art demonstration they see,” Abbamontian said.

She became interested in art when she took a class on renaissance history, and during a trip that she took to Italy while taking that class.

“I took my book everywhere I went, fell in love with the culture,” Abbamontian said.

Part of her training prior to getting her teaching credentials included training at the Getty Center, where she worked as a docent. It was there that she learned how art can inspire people, she said.

Abbamontian offers extra credit opportunities to her students, such as attending art related events on campus. She is also a big supporter of the Roundup and enjoys reading the articles that appear in the paper.

She is really proud of the stories

that the reporters from the Roundup write.

She asks her art students to write a letter to the editor. One of the main reasons she does this is to make her students’ voices heard.

“One of those ways is by writing newspaper articles or writing to the editor,” Abbamontian said.

In the Japanese Print Show, for example, students would interview the guests much like a reporter covering an event.

“I let my students do what you guys normally would do, which is go out and report,” Abbamontian said.

The Japanese Print Show is a local exhibition that displays Japanese prints.

Concert

Review: Students perform a variety of melodies

Jeffrey Howard Roundup Reporter

Another Pierce student concert fashioned an amazing show in the musical recital building, with a variety of cover songs and even a few originals cultivated by the school’s very own student body on Thursday afternoon, April 3.

Music Adjunct Professor James Bergman hosted the weekly Concerts at Pierce event, with eight different acts performing everything from classic video game melodies played with guitar to excerpts from the play “Les Miserables.”

“Performing can be a terrifying, but great experience,” Bergman said before the show. “You can do it your whole life and it can still be terrifying.”

Alma Villaescusa, a 21-yearold psychology major, sang an excerpt from the play “The King and I” titled “I Have Dreamed,” accompanied by piano player and music adjunct Frank Garvey. In an ardent and intense performance, Villaescusa was able to properly convey the feelings of two lovers of extremely different circumstance.

“It’s about a scholar and a servant who are secret lovers,” Villaescusa said. “The scholar tries to convince the servant to run away with him, and the servant responds in the song.”

“I normally sing gospel songs, but this time I wanted to do something different,” Hemans said.

The dramatic piece described the pondering of a lover worried that her companion lost the connection and attraction that seemed to dissipate in the relationship over time.

Bringing the only style from a folk-blues background, Jacob Billings, an 18-year-old undecided major, played his original song “Way to Go.”

Billings will also be performing a show on April 25 at the Guitar Merchant, a local instrument, music education and sometimes concert venue located in Canoga Park.

Students Brian Delgado, David Durrani, Bruce Salyer, Ani Khajadourian, and Luis Villalobos also performed.

Their songs included “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables” sung by Delgado, original song “Ignite” with vocals and guitar both by Durrani, a scherzo from Alex Tansman’s “Sonatine” played by Salyer via baritone saxophone, original song “Barely Breathing” with vocals and guitar by Khajadourian, and Villalobos performing songs from early Nintendo era games such as “The Legend of Zelda,” “Super Mario,” and “Donkey Kong Country” via guitar.

The next concert will be on Thursday April 17 at 12:45p.m.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com] [For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

Donna Hemans, 56-year-old music major, performed a love song with a more sorrowful tone called “Leavin’ on Your Mind,” originally written by country artist Patsy Cline.

Arts & Entertainment briefs

Special Guest Lecturer [4/23]

Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness Film Festival [4/23, 4/24]

Media Arts Speaker Series [4/28]

Brainstorms EXPECTED –May through August

Summer 2014 Forecast: summer Session 1 summer Session 2

MAY 27–AUGUST 19 (12 weeks)

MAY 27–JULY 8 (6 weeks)

A student- and professorexclusive presentation by radio host, columnist and author Dennis Prager will be held in the Great Hall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23. For more information on this event, contact Kathy Oborn at (818) 7102587.

Session 3

JULY 9–AUGUST 19 (6 weeks)

With a deluge of university credit courses to choose from, CSUN Summer Session can help you

 Accelerate your progress toward a degree,

 Advance your career, or

 Soak up new knowledge for the sheer delight of it.

2

Whatever your academic goals, chances are you’ll find a class within the wide selection of courses offered—many of which are now available online.

http://summer.csun.edu

The student Health Center will sponsor a film festival in the Great Hall on Wednesday, April 23 from 11:15 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. and Thursday, April 24 from 4-6 p.m. For more information, contact the Health Center at (818) 710-4270.

Call:

Email: baileyjd@piercecollege.edu

Marc Dionne / Roundup PRISCILLA TAYLOR practices Scherzo on the piano.

Guiliana Orlandoni / Roundup CANCER SURVIVOR professor Ramela Abbamontian poses with her new hair outside of her office.

Campus Safety

Los Angeles Sheriff Department deputies from different college campuses came together to train at Pierce College on April 2, 2014, to prepare in the event of an active shooter situation on community college campuses. About a dozen deputies trained behind the Great Hall to prepare for the LASD sponsored production “Active Shooter” that was filmed at Los Angeles Valley College over spring break. The LASD personnel used red and blue training pistols, maneuvering down the road in a diamond formation covering each other, simulating if they were to walk into a hostile situation actively looking for an armed suspect.

Bottom Left: An officer holsters her pistol after the training was finished.

Middle left: Officer carries a Beretta pistol.

Right: Los Angeles County Sheriff Department personnel practice clearing a simulated hostile enviroment with training pistols behind the Great Hall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photographs and Copy by Diego Barajas

Bottom Right: Deputy Reggie Ducree stands outside of his squad car after training was completed

Brahma to be inducted into hall of fame

Former Denver Broncos athlete to receive award 8 years a er his death

Ethan Hanson Assistant Editor

It will be a somber day for the Brahmas family when they induct another athlete into the Pierce College Sports Hall of Fame this May.

Neal Sweeney, a former Pierce College wide receiver who was a junior college All-American in 1963 and 1964 before transferring to Tulsa University before being drafted to the Denver Broncos in 1967, will be inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame almost six years after his death. He was killed in 2008.

Sweeney, who was a businessman in the oil industry after his playing career, was shot and killed in his office in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 6, 2008 by Terrico Bethel.

After a three year investigation, the mastermind behind the murder, Mohammed Aziz, a former customer of Sweeney, was sentenced to 32 years and a half life in prison.

“It destroyed my brother’s family. They were an all-American family,” Neal Sweeney’s little brother Bill Sweeney said.

For little brother Bill and the Sweeneys it was a loss that no one saw coming.

A life that had been fulfilled through a tremendous work ethic and dedication to the people around him, had been unexpectdly cut short due to the actions of one angry person.

Bill continues to live on though and is always open to sharing the story of his older brother.

“From when we were kids I looked to him and I always tagged along with him wherever he went,”

Sweeney said. “He was everything you wanted a big brother to be. Every kid wants an older brother to look up to and I literally did.

I was a short, fat kid and my brother was always a foot taller than me. Not just his stature, but the kind of guy he was. I was always proud of him.”

Bill and Neal Sweeney’s parents ended up getting divorced when the boys were kids. According to Bill, with their father out of the picture, Neal became the father figure growing up.

“He started pushing me like he was my father,” Sweeney said. “He was the one that walked up to me and told me ‘I was going to lose my Fritos.’ I told him ‘No, I’m not.’ And he said ‘Yes, you are.’ And he took my food away from me and made me play football.”

Growing up, Neal Sweeney had the drive it took to succeed to be an athlete at an early age according to his childhood best friend Brick Durley.

“From the time I could remember, Neal was one of the fastest men I ever saw,” Brick said. “He was a fierce competitor and never stopped

working. He’d always be running on the track, or he’d go onto the sands of Zuma Beach and he’d run for miles and miles on end.”

Neal’s athleticism was good enough to earn himself a spot on the varsity team at Birmingham High School where he played with Bill and Brick.

The lifelong trio would eventually go from Birmingham to Pierce College and then to Tulsa University where Neal emerged as a star.

Neal would begin his long list of award while he was still attending Pierce, he was a two time junior college All American.

During Neal’s two years with the Golden Hurricane, the team went 14-7 and in 1965 were the top ranked offense in the country. As a receiver he made 134 receptions for 1,623 yards and 11 touchdowns. During his junior year with Tulsa, Neal was the third ranked receiver in the nation, totaling 78 receptions for 883 yards and eight touchdowns.

“To this day I can’t remember anyone that worked harder than him,” Durley said.

Neal is now going to be enshrined among one of the Brahmas elite. Bill Sweeney and Brick Durley will be presenting in his honor.

“He is the perfect pedigree for the Pierce College Hall of Fame,” said athletic director Bob Lofrano, who is in charge of choosing the inductees. “He had a tremendous career at both Pierce and Tulsa before being drafted by the Denver Broncos. He is everything that symbolizes a Pierce College hall of famer.”

James Channell / Roundup

Bill Sweeney and Brick Durley, former Pierce College football team members, hold a picture of Neal who died in 2008 on Tuesday, April 8.

“From when we were kids I looked up to him and I always tagged along with him wherever he went.”

-Bill Sweeney Brother of Neal Sweeney

Divers somersault into finals

Two Pierce divers advance to State Diving Championship

Carlos Islas Sports Editor

With the diving season coming to an end, Pierce College divers Kevin Kichik and Govany Gonzalez won big once again as both teammates qualified for the state diving championships after competing in the Western State Conference and Southern California Dive Championship on April 11 to 12.

“Our goal throughout the season was to have both [Kichik and Gonzalez] qualify for the state championships and we succeeded,” dive coach Joshua Foster said.

The WSC/SoCal Diving Championship meet was held at El Camino College in Torrance. Kichik and Gonzalez competed against 13 other schools which included WSC conference rivals and other colleges

from the four different conferences in the Southern California area.

On Friday, April 11, the competition began with the diving board at three meters. Kichik began the day on a good note when he scored 184.35 on his first dive. Kichik’s score placed him in sixth place in the SoCal conference and first in the WSC conference.

“Kevin consistently put in his dives, he had a solid performance and was consistent,” Foster said. “He had his best score of the season on the one meter dive.”

Although Kichik began the day with a high scoring dive for Pierce, Gonzalez was not to be outclassed. Gonzalez placed 12 in the SoCal conference and third in the WSC conference after he scored 150.75 on his three meter dive.

Gonzalez was doing fine until he tried his trademark dive, a three

and a half somersault. He came out a split second too early and received a zero for the dive according to Foster.

On April 12, the second day of competition, the dive board was moved down to one meter. Although Kichik stole the show in the three meter dive, Gonzalez had the better score on this dive.

Gonzalez placed fifth in the SoCal conference and first in the WSC conference with a score of 200.3 on the one meter dive.

“Govany rallied back the next day and place first in the WSC conference with a personal best overall score,” Foster said.

Kichik was not far behind his teammate Gonzalez. Kichik placed tenth in the SoCal conference and third in the WSC conference after his one meter dive scored 189.

“It was pretty intense looking at

Dive Scores

people chuck random dives around,” Kichik said about his experience at the diving championships. “I think I did alright.”

Both Kichik and Gonzalez qualified for the state diving championships, which are scheduled to be held on May 1 to 3 at East Los Angeles College.

Only the top eight schools from Northern and Southern California will compete against each other to determine the best of the state.

The dive team is always looking for new members. Those who are interested in joining the dive team are encouraged to visit the Aquatic Center and speak with coach Foster. Foster is there Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon. They can drop by and speak to a pool manager or can call the Aquatic Center at (818) 7104343 about joining the team.

Nelger Carrera / Roundup

Kevin Kichik practices at the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center for the upcoming state championships after placing first in the Western State Conference Division in the three meter dive category.

“Kevin consistently put in his dives, he had a solid performance and was consistent. He had his best score of the season on the one meter dive”

-Joshua Foster Pierce dive coach